How to Recover Permanently Deleted Items in Outlook

Deleting unwanted emails out of Microsoft Outlook is extremely easy to do simply by holding down your "Shift" key and hitting that black X at the top of the screen; however, emails often get deleted accidentally or are deleted before they should be. To recover normal deleted items, users either look in their "Deleted Items" folder or right click on the same folder to activate the "Recover Deleted Items" function. Recovering permanently deleted items from other folders, however, requires a user to activate the same function on all other folders. To do so, a few simple steps must be followed.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet Connection
• Microsoft Outlook

Instructions

Steps

1. Exit Outlook and open the Windows Registry Editor. To open the editor, pull up your start menu. Select "Run," type "regedit" into the box and click "OK."

2. Locate the following file: "MyComputer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Clinet\Options." Once selected, create a new DWORD Value by selecting the edit menu on the top toolbar and looking for "DWORD Value" under the "New" option.

3. Rename the newly created file by right clicking and selecting "rename." Type the following text without spaces: "DumpsterAlwaysOn." Set the value of the new DWORD to 1 by right clicking, selecting "modify" and inputting the numerical value 1 in the provided box. Exit the editor, and restart Outlook.

4. Recover all permanently deleted items by right clicking on the appropriate folder from which the item was deleted and selecting "Recover Deleted Items." Where this option was available only in the "Deleted Items" folder before, it is now available on all other folders.

Tips & Warnings

• To effectively use this function, your email account must be operating on an Exchange server. If you do not see the "Recover Deleted Items" option, you are not on such a server and should consult with your administrator.

• The Exchange Server Administrator dictates the time allowed to retain deleted items on the server. Items cannot be recovered once they exceed the time limitation.

• Do not use the Windows Registry Editor without being absolutely certain that you know what you're doing. Making one incorrect move can damage your operating system, possibly necessitating a re-install. Consult with a trained computer professional if you are unsure of what you are doing.

References

• Microsoft Support: How can I recover items that I have "hard deleted" in Outlook?
• Microsoft Office Online: Recover deleted items from any folder